Bundles are the best way to streamline your inbox and make email management a breeze in Shortwave. You can configure and customize bundles from Settings > Inbox.
What is a bundle?
Bundles are groups of related threads that condense multiple emails into just one compact line in your inbox. Bundles help reduce visual clutter while making it easier to take bulk actions. You can snooze, delete, or mark an entire bundle done to dismiss several emails all at once.
Types of bundles
There are several types of bundles you can create in Shortwave:
Built-in label bundles: There are labels defined by Shortwave that you can enable bundling for, like Newsletters, Promotions, and Travel
Custom label bundles: Bundle together threads with custom labels you created
Mailing list bundles: Bundle together all messages to a specific mailing list
Sender bundles: Bundle together all messages from a specific sender. Automated senders are automatically bundled together.
To-do bundles: Drag & drop threads then add a custom note to create a to-do bundle
Making the most of bundles
Here's a workflow scenario to illustrate how bundles can help you manage your inbox:
Let's say you have several ongoing customer conversations labeled “Clients” you’re waiting on responses for, a few threads about your upcoming feature launch, and some newsletters from throughout the week that you’ve been meaning to read. Here's how you can use bundles:
Create a custom bundle for your “Clients” label to group them all together, then snooze the entire bundle while you’re waiting for replies to keep your inbox focused
Drag & drop launch threads together to create a to-do bundle and add a note to remind yourself of next steps
Enable bundling for the Newsletters built-in label & set a delivery schedule to minimize mid-week distractions
FAQ
Why isn’t something bundling?
It might not be configured in settings. Check Settings > Inbox first to make sure the sender or label is listed.
If you've previously dragged & dropped threads outside of their original bundle, default bundling rules won't apply. Pin and unpin the thread to reset its bundling behavior back to the default.
You’re not looking at the inbox. Bundles do not appear when viewing search results or on the Done or Sent pages.
Why is something showing up in the wrong bundle?
An inbox thread with multiple labels will appear in the bundle highest on your Custom label rules list under Settings > Inbox. Use drag and drop on this list to change the bundling precedence ordering.
Why am I seeing the same bundle multiple times?
It’s in a different time section. Your inbox is divided into sections like “Last 7 days” or “Earlier this month”. Bundles are divided across time sections to make them easier to triage. You likely don’t need any promotions from last month, so you can mark them all as done in a single click without having to worry about promos that are still active this week.
You dragged & dropped bundled threads outside of a bundle within the same section. Pin and unpin the threads to rebundle them.